Back to Africa...Ethiopia this time...

Well in just over a week I will be headed back to Africa with Operation Smile and again it has been one of those times when...."what's meant to be will always find its way".
The end of June I was contacted by Sara the wonderful mission coordinator from my Bolivia Mission to see if I wanted to  join the team she was putting together for Ethiopia...she knew I wanted to get back to Africa & I was super excited UNTIL I realized the mission travel dates conflicted with the Magnet Conference that CHOC is Co Hosting in LA which is largely my responsibility.  I tried & tried to make it work but ultimately had to say "I don't think I can go - it just wont work to do both".  2 weeks later my friend Jannae from Salt Lake (we were in Kenya together) call me to tell me she was offered a mission to Ethiopia & I should see if I could go...I had to tell her I had given Sara her name as a fabulous Pre/Post nurse but I couldn't go :(
talk about regrets...I mulled it around in my mind for a few days & re contacted Sara to see if there was ANY WAY we could make it work - to which she said..."I had contacted you first but when you said you couldn't go I filled my team & Jannaes spot was the last one I had to fill".  I said "no worries it just wasn't meant to be"...but I was REALLY disappointed.  I wanted to get back to Africa & I knew the needs in Ethiopia are tremendous, I wanted to go on another mission with Sara as coordinator & I REALLY wanted to go on a mission with Jannae BUT I just kept reminding myself it just wasn't "meant to be" and Sara said perhaps I could go to Thailand with her in Nov. So I tentatively blocked a week off from work then in hopes that would work out - but I couldn't get Ethiopia out of my mind.

3 weeks later I was in a mtg at CHOC and my phone vibrates & I see the Op Smile phone # so I step out & it's Sara who says "one of my Recovery Room nurses just had to drop the mission - if you can go I will work it out for you to travel & arrive late - it will be  different mission for you, you will likely miss screening but I would love to have you go".  I didn't even think twice & I said "I am 90% sure I can go plan on me just let me talk to my family & my boss at CHOC & I will get back to you in the next day". I asked Doug & the kids what they thought & they supported it 100% so the hard part would be CHOC - I looked at the Magnet conference schedule & my responsibilities, talked to my manager & Admin Asst to see how they felt covering for me for a day then asked my boss (the CNO) if I could move that week I scheduled off in Nov to Oct & leave the Magnet Conf a day early to go to Ethiopia...I told her I NEEDED TO DO THIS...this was why I became a nurse to relieve suffering and make a difference in children's lives and learn "the healers art". This I told her would "refill my core of who I am" & when I got back I would totally focus on the administrative things she needed me to do but I really had to go. She thought for awhile cause with the new hospital tower going up I have alot of responsibility but I assured here my team was great & could carry on without me. At the end of the day she called & told me to "go on & get it out of your system" then I need you back here 100% until we open the new tower. Without hesitation my reply was "You've got a DEAL" and so "WHAT"S MEANT TO BE WILL ALWAYS FIND ITS WAY". Ethiopia for me was meant to be :) and that was almost 2 months ago.   

I have had a crazy few months & consequently have done absolutely nothing to prepare to go, not even made my packing list!!!  A friend from church made some dresses for me to take & another group of Young women are making some too. Just this last weekend I printed out all 3 of the "team packets" and read them on my fight to Utah for Parents weekend.  I am both excited and somewhat anxious to go & serve in Ethiopia - the situation there seems dire.  I just found out that there is no Internet service at the "hotel" or "hospital" we will be at & cell service is spotty so "tell your families if they don't hear from you not to worry". That is so not my MO...even 10,000 miles from home I want to be connected to Doug & my kids & CHOC. On every other mission I have been on I have always been able to be in pretty good contact & knowing all was well at home allowed me to focus on my work there - but despite having a global phone Verizon cant guarantee me service and a "data plan" for Ethiopia doesn't exist - YIKES!!! I am hoping maybe the phone I bought in Kenya might work if I buy a sim card there??? and in my mind there has to be some "internet cafe" somewhere nearby??? The non communication potential is my biggest concern.

My second concern is the travel - I will basically be taking 2 back to back "red eyes" LA to London one night then after a 7 hours layover another red eye from London to Addis Ababa Ethiopia then a "domestic flight"aka small plane from Addis to the more remote area of Mekele where the mission is in the northern most  part of Ethiopia right next to the countries of Yemen, Sudan & Somalia. I will be travelling by myself - the rest of the team is leaving 2 days before me..so that makes me a little nervous but really it is just navigating the Addis Ababa airport that may be a challenge & hopefully someone will meet me at the airport in Mekele??? I don't have that flight info yet.

Sara told me from the very 1st call that this was a "rustic site" and I am not sure I can fully conceptualize that but with these facts about the area we will be in it's clear to me they need us there...20% of the population there live on less that $1 US a day for a family of 6-7 who typically live in a 100 square feet mud & thatch huts. 50% of children are underweight & 75% of families share their sleeping quarters with livestock. Only 12% of homes have cement floors 88% are dirt and most children sleep on the ground where night time temperatures average 40 degrees F. In the capital City of Addis Ababa 55% of the people live in slums and further out where we will be that % climbs to a much higher #. Infant mortality is 10% - 1 of every 10 babies die??? and the life expectancy is 48!!!  Sanitation is nearly non existent - which is probably why they asked us to bring soap so we can give the kids baths before we do surgery :)  in ALL of Ethiopia there are on average 2 .5 physicians for every 100,000 people and there are MANY Orphans & Vulnerable Children who cant attend school unless they have school supplies.  I read all of this & despite seeing ALOT of poverty in Kenya I don't think I can fully conceptualize all of this & it makes me think of all we have, all we take for granted, and how we spend or waste money on things everyday that we dont need - while $1 would sustain a family of 7 for an entire day....it is incomprehensible & I get emotional just thinking about it. If we just skipped a trip to In & Out we could support a family there for almost a week without really making any sacrifice of all we have & often dont appreciate.

Since I am taking a "domestic flight" once I get in the country I can only take one 50lb suitcase - I have always brought 2  very full 50-60 lb suitcases mostly filled with items to give away but a 2nd suitcase would cost me $160 American - is that crazy??? that $160 would sustain a family for almost 6 months - so do I spend the $$$ and take a suitcase of cloths & school supplies for the orphans or is is better to just take the cash & use it to help them once I get there? But the Peace Corp volunteers say they need school supplies & love children's books which leads me to doubt that they have school supplies there I could buy after I arrive - I have alot of figuring out to do in this next week! Actually I just have alot to do in general....so I just wanted to let all my family & friends know as I haven't talked about to to too many people until recently.  I would appreciate your prayers and positive thoughts this week as I prepare & of course next week when I leave - I absolutely cant do this on my own and am looking to my Heavenly Father for strength and direction. If it is meant to be I have to have faith it will all work out...I firmly believe that when God takes YOU to it HE will get you thru it!!!. I think I will be reminding myself "this mission is meant to be for me" & repeating the "If GOD has taken me to this HE will get me thru this" phrase hourly this next week.  I will blog again before I go so stay tuned if you want to stay in touch on this next adventure with me :)